Things were hard for Hardik Pandya during the IPL and even during the 2024 T20 World Cup as he played with minimum support from the fans. India all-rounder Hardik Pandya certainly scripted a perfect revenge story in the history of cricket. A player, who was booed by his own home crowd during the Indian Premier League 2024 is now the cynosure of all eyes after leading India to a T20 World Cup title following a long wait of 17 years.
Things were hard for Hardik Pandya during the IPL and even during the 2024 T20 World Cup as he played with minimum support from the fans. The star all-rounder re-earned the love of the fans after playing a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in USA and West Indies.
Hardik Pandya’s downfall and resurgence in span of 6 months from IPL to WT20
The criticisms had begun after Mumbai Indians shockingly replaced Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the captain last December for the IPL 2024 season. While the move was lashed out at by veteran cricketers and experts, Hardik Pandya was attacked on social media. The online attack soon turned into boos during each of Mumbai’s matches and remained a constant as the side finished bottom of the table for the second time in three seasons.
However, Hardik Pandya bounced back from the IPL drama in stunning fashion to play a pivotal role in India’s run to a second T20 World Cup win. One of his best performances came in the final, against South Africa, where he dismissed the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen before picking two wickets in the final over to successfully defend 16 runs as India won by seven runs.
Despite his struggles, Hardik Pandya proved decisive during the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, especially in crucial moments for Team India, including the final. Overall, he scored 144 runs at a strike rate of 151.57 in six innings and picked up 11 wickets throughout the tournament.
While Hardik Pandya already spoke his heart out about the poor treatment he faced from the crowd, he on Thursday opened up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well during Team India’s visit after returning to the nation with the World Cup.
Hardik Pandya reflects on last six months in interaction with PM Modi post T20 WC win.
In an interaction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 4, vice-captain Hardik Pandya said he always believed in answering critics with his performances. The criticism started when Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024.
Hardik was booed in every stadium he went to play in during the IPL. However, he came back strongly and proved his mettle in the T20 World Cup. Hardik Pandya scored 144 runs at a strike rate of more than 150 and took 11 wickets.
Team India landed in New Delhi in the early hours of July 4 from Barbados. The Men in Blue met PM Modi, who invited them for breakfast to celebrate their World Cup triumph. PM Modi also interacted with players, and Hardik Pandya shared his experiences of the last six months with him, stating:
“Last six months have been very entertaining for me. There have been a lot of ups and downs. Many things have happened like people have booed me. I always felt that if i give any answer, it would be through sport, I won’t speak anything. I believed and worked hard and there was great support from the captain and coach,” Hardik said.
The all-rounder was outstanding in the final played in Barbados on June 29. He first provided the important breakthrough for Heinrich Klassen and then bowled the match-winning last over. The Indian vice captain was brilliant and held his nerves to lift the Men in Blue’s second T20 World Cup as they defeated South Africa by seven runs. Hardik Pandya became the top-ranked all-rounder in the latest ICC men’s T20Is ranking.
Hardik Pandya thanked fans for their support post-victory parade
On July 5, Team India held an open-top bus victory parade to Nariman Point to Wankhede Stadium, which was attended by thousands of people. Hardik Pandya thanked fans for showing up in large numbers and wrote the following in an Instagram post:
“India, you mean the world to me! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the love.. these are moments that I will never ever forget! Thank you for coming out to celebrate with us, despite the rains! We love you so much!
“Celebrating with you is why we do what we do! We’re all champions! All 1.4 billions of us! Thank You Mumbai, thank you India, Hardik wrote.
BCCI also awarded Team India a cash prize of INR 125 crore for winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.